Friday, June 23, 2017

Who else is super excited that it’s officially summer? Woohoo! It’s time for BBQs, swimming, and long hours of fun in the sun! Speaking of that last thing, when was the last time you checked out the label on your sunscreen? Conventional sunscreens might be protecting you and your family from the sun, but you’ll also be applying a whole bunch of harmful chemicals to your skin. Yikes.

To start, some studies have shown that the chemicals in sunscreen can mimic human sex and thyroid hormones. While the FDA hasn’t investigated common sunscreen ingredients for harmful effects, the Danish EPA did so in 2015 and found that most of the ingredients (16 out of 19) didn’t have enough information available to determine whether or not they’re safe.

One major ingredient, oxybenzone, a chemical found in most commercial sunscreens, triggers skin allergies and mimics estrogen when absorbed into the body (and it can be absorbed into breast milk). I don’t know about you, but I’d rather get a sunburn at this point! Luckily, there are alternatives, and I’ll tell you about my favorite ones.

Beautycounter’s Protect All Over Sunscreen works like a charm for the whole family – no white streaks when applied, water-resistant, great for sensitive skin, SPF 30 and, best of all, all the ingredients are actually nourishing your skin while protecting it from UVA and UVB rays. Just check out some of these ingredients: aloe, beeswax, green tea, orange and lemon peel oils, peppermint oil, tangerine fruit extract. I’m not used to my sunscreen sounding so delicious! Ha!

If you’re looking for a more on-the-go protection (or one that’s easier to apply to an active 3 year old), Beautycounter’s Sunscreen Sticks for the face and body are must-haves. They’re easy to apply and packed with more awesome ingredients: coconut oil, acai fruit oil, Shea and cocoa butters, and more. And if you’re looking for year-round protection, Beautycounter’s SPF 15 Protect Lip Balm works as both a great lip conditioner and sun protectant.

In the past, I was always a bit weary of what was in my sunscreen. I mean, I remember using one in particular that would always make my eyes water and my nose run every time I used it. Ugh, I can only imagine what kinds of chemicals were in it! But now I’m so glad that I’m able to confidently protect my family from sunburns this summer without having to worry about what else their skin might be absorbing.

It’s Friday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Friday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

My story is similar to many out there; I was stuck in a cycle of diets, restriction and anxiety. I’ve always been interested in health and wellness, and I eagerly followed the advice doled out by fitness magazines and conventional “wisdom”: eat six small meals a day—a protein with a carb, don’t let yourself get hungry, avoid fat, exercise intensely six days a week. I wanted to be a healthy, fit woman so I obeyed this advice.

The problem: this “healthy” lifestyle was making me feel decidedly unhealthy. I was constantly tired, sore, constipated, gassy and bloated. (On a side note, when I spoke to my gynecologist about my digestive issues she actually told me it was normal to eliminate only twice a week!) I broke out so frequently that I started using Proactiv in my late thirties. I thought about food constantly (probably because the food I was eating wasn’t very enjoyable or satiating), and I was always worried about missing a meal and becoming dizzyingly hungry as a result. I felt irrationally emotional about food because I was restricting myself and working so hard—but my pants were getting tighter! When a few acquaintances assumed I was pregnant because of my disproportionately bloated stomach I went in a funk for weeks.

I had heard about this whole low carb eating lifestyle for a while, initially brushing it off as crazy. This was not what my fitness magazines said was healthy! The body needs carbs for energy, right? However, I believe that the universe sends signs when we are ready for them. Within a week all of my favorite podcast hosts were either interviewing Mark Sisson or Mark Hyman (author of Eat Fat, Get Thin). I was seeing low carb articles in Outside magazine and Time claimed “We were wrong about saturated fats!” The government revised its food pyramid!

This new information began to seep into my very being and I knew it was time to change my mindset and attitude about what was healthy. I bought The Primal Blueprint and Eat Fat, Get Thin and read them in a weekend. I was convinced by the information to complete a four week trial, following the plans created by the Marks. My husband had just returned from a beer and junk food infested snowmachine trip, so I caught him at the perfect sugar-crash low and he agreed to do the trial with me.

We felt a little woozy and low energy the first few days. My husband, initially quite hungry, snacked regularly on nuts. After about four days, something shifted. My bloating was gone—it just disappeared! My digestion was showing significant signs of improvement, and I was absolutely loving what we were eating. Everything we ate was so satiating and delicious that we found we were naturally satisfied with less food.

There was no restriction or judgement surrounding eating; this beautiful food was making me healthy and I loved and appreciated every bite. This food mindset was totally revolutionary for me. After about two weeks I began to sense this incredible sense of non-stop energy, clarity, and enthusiasm for life. I was waking up without an alarm clock, full of energy and excited to begin the day. Brain fog that I hadn’t even known was there disappeared and left me feeling more intelligent, focused, and clear in my communications. My husband felt the same way.

We had no idea that it was possible to feel this good; we thought we were healthy and happy before, but this was a whole new level of life. The four week trial naturally turned into our lifestyle. I can’t imagine living any other way. It’s difficult for me to describe the impact of this transformation, but I feel like I have been freed from the obsessive/restrictive/self-esteem crushing diet and exercise patterns in which I had lived most of my life. I liken it to a physical and mental blockade dissolving, which opened the path to feeling absolutely unstoppable.

In this time my purpose became clear to me. I had to try and help others feel this way. If I could help just one other person awaken his or her glow, I knew that it was worth trying. I started the website, Awaken Your Glow, to share my experiences and hopefully inspire others.

When I heard about the Primal Blueprint Certification program I immediately knew I was meant to enroll. I absolutely loved every module and would honestly get excited to read and learn each weekend. I really appreciate that the Primal Blueprint philosophy takes into account all facets of life. Yes, nutrition and movement are crucial, but so are sleep, nature, play, mindfulness, and slowing life down. I feel honored to be an official Primal Health Coach.

^^He has so much energy! We went to T’s soccer game the other night, and he had a blast running up and down the bleachers and onto the field (in between the two small-side games).

Good thing he likes oatmeal for breakfast to fuel him up!! I made a big batch of whipped banana with peanut butter for us all.

I’ve been eating up leftovers for lunch, like this ravioli with spinach tomato sauce and parmesan cheese which I had while catching up on the second-to-latest episode of Nashville!

I had some goldfish as a snack, and we enjoyed this Cook Smarts summer soup for dinner. I used rotini instead of orzo since I had some in the pantry, and the pesto was the best part!

I was thrilled that Mazen seemed to like it too. He kept saying, “I looooove pesto” while eating!

Mommy is happy that Mazen is eating well, and also that a new shipment came from the Winc wine club! I always throw in a few extra bottles because if I’m going to have to sign for wine at the doorstep, I want it to be worth it. (Of course, the 30 minutes I leave my house is always when they try to deliver the signature-on-delivery packages!)

I love Winc because they have so many creative bottles that are great to take to parties — So This Happened…. is one of my favorites

Along with their #TBT series that are Instagram-themed

I only get the lowest priced wines ($13 level) and this bottle of rosé caught my attention — so pretty!

And I got some more of these single serve rosé cans that I love. (PS. I just learned how to do the é on my keyboard so I don’t have to Google rosé each time and paste it in! It’s option+e and then another e on a Mac!)